Iran Mobilizes In Aleppo…Opposition Prepares for Battle of Bones

Beirut- Ahead of what it described as the battle of the bones in Aleppo, sources close to Iran’s Shi’ite Fatimiyoun militias said yesterday that passengers and cargo aircrafts had transported to the Damascus airport on Friday a large number of forces from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and several other militias linked to both Iran and Iraq.

The sources added that as soon as they landed at Damascus International Airport, those fighters moved to positions in northern and southern Aleppo.

Channels broadcasting news related to Fatimiyoun on the Telegram network had aired the details of a “Revolutionary Guards” plan to start a wide battle in the coming few days from the axis of northern and southern Aleppo.

Both the Syrian opposition and regime forces agree that the countdown for the last phase of the Aleppo battle has started when a truce announced by Russia last Friday has ended similar to previous ceasefires, without producing any result. Last week, Syrian opposition forces objected a one-side military truce that the Russian Army had announced in Aleppo for 10 hours starting Friday morning and none of the area’s residents or fighters had evacuated the city, as was asked by Russian and Syrian officials.

Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdelrahman said it was probable that actual battles would start in the next few hours or days, adding that this third phase would be the last and decisive battle of Aleppo for both the regime and the opposition.

The military spokesperson of Fastaqim Kama Omirt Batallions, Ammar Sakkar told Asharq Al-Awsat that the third phase of the Aleppo battle will be launched soon, adding that he was confident it would be the battle of the bones.

On Saturday, Ismail Qaiana, Deputy Commander of Major General Qassem Suleimani, said that the year 2016 would be a resolute year in the Syrian civil war, as he was quoted by the pro-government Mehr news agency.

Qaiana said the fight in Syria would continue. The deputy commander’s positions came at a time when Iranians escalate their demands requesting the withdrawal of the Revolutionary Guards from Syrian territories.